© Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Damian Lillard steadily finding his comfort zone, with Doc Rivers putting some actions specifically for him
For most of his tenure with the Milwaukee Bucks, Damian Lillard has been unsure of himself—especially his role on offense. Acquired by Milwaukee in a blockbuster trade in the offseason to bolster the Bucks' offense, Lillard has put up solid numbers, averaging over 24 points and nearly 7.0 assists per game.
However, he has sometimes looked uncomfortable, often deferring to star teammate Giannis Antetokounmpo. But with the recent hiring of coach Doc Rivers, Lillard is finding his groove and assertiveness on the court.
Comfort level rising
As Giannis said in a recent interview, one of the Bucks' main goals towards the end of the regular season is to ensure Lillard is operating at or near the peak of his powers when the playoffs roll around. Rivers has also noticed this and worked with Dame to help him find his confidence and aggression on the court.
"I think for a significant part of the year, it was just trying to find my way. Trying to find my spaces where I would have opportunity. I just think because I played so many times against Doc in the West, and he had to scout against me. And when he came in, he was just, like, 'You guys don't run this? You guys don't run that? That was stuff we hated to guard against you,'" Lillard said.
Rivers is very familiar with how Dame plays. Doc used to coach the Los Angeles Clippers, a team Lillard's previous squad, the Portland Trail Blazers, crossed paths with plenty of times before.
Put in some of Lillard's pet plays
Lillard remarked that Doc has begun to incorporate some of his signature plays into the Bucks' offense, a testament to both Dame's skill as well as Rivers' understanding and respect for his game.
"He just slowly started to put some of those actions in. You know, I think it's helped me settle in even more, especially playing with some of the guys on this team that can shoot the ball, and having a guy like Giannis and the dunker behind the defense. Sometimes it's like just stuff that I've always run and situations I've always been in, should be even harder to deal with now with the players that I'm playing with," Lillard continued.
